Alan Shearer pinpoints Man City advantage over Liverpool in Premier League title race

TV pundit Alan Shearer reckons defensive question marks within the Liverpool team might stop them from challenging for the Premier League title with treble-winners Manchester City this season.

Pep Guardiola and his star-studded team were pushed all the way by Arsenal last term before getting their hands on the trophy for a third year in succession.

The last side other than City to reign supreme in England were revived Liverpool during the Covid-hit 2019/2020 campaign.

Arsenal and Liverpool are tipped to be the main threats to City this season and those three clubs are all currently sitting in the top three as if to back up that prediction.

However, according to Shearer, there is one reason Jurgen Klopp and his free-scoring Reds might struggle to go toe-to-toe with City for the duration.

Speaking about the title race with Gary Lineker and former City favourite Micah Richards on The Rest Is Football podcast, Shearer said: “They are always going to score goals with the talent up top. Goals will never be a problem for them, but my slight concern would be defensively at the minute.”

Shearer, who won the Premier League with Blackburn Rovers in 1995, continued: “They have now got an injury to [Andy] Robertson which they are going to have to deal with. [Kostas] Tsimikas came in and got taken off.

“I still think they are a bit iffy defensively. Without doubt, they have improved [this season] and will give it a good go for the title [despite their defensive question marks].”

City have won five Premier League crowns since Guardiola became their manager seven years ago. They also got their hands on a historic treble last season when they defeated Manchester United in the FA Cup final and followed it up with victory over Inter Milan in the Champions League showpiece.